From Green Right Now Reports

Just as we were getting ready to list our green ways to unfurl the holiday mess, came a timely tidbit about using cedar spray on holiday decorations to discourage critters and insects from feeding on them in the off-season.

(Photo: Green Right Now)

Naturally, this bit of advice arrived from the CedarCide company in Spring, Texas. Still, it sounded like as good a place to start as any, and frankly, we’ve failed in the past to seal up keepsakes well enough to fend off tiny invaders. Sure, we’ve used cedar blocks and scents in the closet, but it just never occurred to us to spray it on attic storage. According to the website, Cedarcide can be lethal to dust mites, bed bugs and fleas. It’s unclear whether is will deter rats and squirrels. Still, it smells considerably better than the fox urine that some people use to dissuade squirrels from attic camp-outs.

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As people try to shift to using compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, one of the challenges is that the common screw-shaped design is less aesthetically pleasing and harsher than a typical incandescent, glass bulb. There have been a few attempts to disguise the CFL within a bulb-like cover but now GE is announcing a CFL that the company says comes much closer to replicating the classic light bulb we’re all familiar with.

Using miniaturized electronics developed by GE Consumer & Industrial engineers and scientists, the company says its exclusive new design — protected under more than a dozen U.S. patent applications — is practically identical to a standard incandescent light bulb. The GE Energy Smart CFL bulb features a spiral CFL inside the glass bulb and the electronics housed in the neck of the bulb. GE says the new bulb is Energy Star qualified.

GE says the new bulb will help with certain fixtures were made with the traditional shape in mind. For example, many small lamps use a clip on shade that can’t easily accommodate a corkscrew–shaped CFL.

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By Bill Sullivan
Green Right Now

Weighing the merits of buying a real tree against trotting out a store-bought fake one this Christmas season?

Consider the source.

Christmas tree farms grow evergreens with a purpose

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By Bill Sullivan
Green Right Now

In Omaha, Neb., Travis Freeman is a bit of a local Christmas legend. Not only does he own and operate Brite Ideas Decorating – which specializes in both commercial and residential seasonal lighting – but he also is known for his efforts in putting together the Salvation Army’s Tree of Lights, a big part of the local holiday landscape.

Omaha's Tree of Lights uses LEDs (Photo: Brite Ideas Decorating)

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By Bill Sullivan
Green Right Now
Looking to upgrade from your old, often unreliable incandescent Christmas lights to those cool, environmentally-friendly LED (light emitting diode) numbers you’ve heard so much about? The Home Depot is offering an incentive to do just that.
Between Nov. 5 and Nov. 15, you can redeem old or non-working Christmas lights and [...]

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By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

Ornamental gourds (Photo: Cooksgarden.com)

If you’ve cruised the produce section at the grocery lately, you probably stopped to eye the small, colorful, oddball gourds near the pumpkins and winter squash.

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By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

Those pretty knick-knacks and decorative items around your home likely have a history. There’s the crystal bowl that was an anniversary gift from a dear friend, or the candleholder your mom gave you before she died — they all hold great significance.

We’ve found 20 lovely decorative items with their own stories. Our picks come from far-flung nations or close to home, made by fair-trade artisans or creative artists using recycled, natural materials. Take a moment to shop our selections. (Most of the websites selling these goodies have lots of other green items to check out.)

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From Green Right Now Reports:

Lighting and energy experts have been scratching their heads for sometime over how to make LED lighting as effective and pleasant as CFLs, because LEDs are even more energy efficient than CFLs.

Renaissance Lighting, based in Herndon, Va., appears to be inching forward in this effort. The company will be showcasing its new, all white solid-state LED downlight fixtures at the LIGHTFAIR International 2009 at the Javits Center in New York City. The new fixtures are brighter than ever and have two and half times greater efficacy.

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By John DeFore
Green Right Now

The sickening effects of atmospheric formaldehyde may have become a hot topic thanks to FEMA trailers after Hurricane Katrina, but the problem is hardly limited to mobile homes. Formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a widespread health concern introduced to buildings through industrial textiles like carpeting and by materials, like plywood, that use certain adhesives.

That doesn’t mean we have to accept living in toxic rooms. Researchers in Korea have measured the extent to which household plants can clean the air, and their discoveries are encouraging.

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By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

If you’re working on making your furniture environmentally correct, but you don’t want to sacrifice on style, we’ve found a handful of websites with wonderful, elegant options. Today, we’re shopping for chairs.

Earthsake sells all kinds of furniture made from sustainably harvested wood and luxury eco-friendly fabrics. We like the Milan Puff chair (at left), which comes in a variety of bentwood frames and lots of fabric for the cloud-like cushion. They’re on sale now, and range from $315 to $415 based on the grade of fabric you select.

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Who are green consumers? And what do they want?

These are two questions being hashed about by marketers and businesses around the country as Americans become increasingly conscious of wanting products that are cleaner, less-toxic, verifiably sourced, responsibly made, and reasonable in the bargain.

Green consumers, it appears, do come in peace. And while they might not speak green. They’re willing to learn. That’s what Sarah Beatty has concluded after a few, fast and furious years in the green building and living supply business. She’s the founder and president of Green Depot stores, which is opening its seventh store this month after less than five years in the business.

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Confused about light bulbs? There’s a dizzying array on the market, not just at Home Depot and Lowe’s and online at 1000Bulbs.com, but at many home supply stores.

For any given lighting job, you may find yourself confronted with several types of bulbs that could work — CFLs (compact fluorescent bulbs), a halogen or two or ten, and some of those ongoing, but supposedly outgoing, incandescents. Conversely, for specific needs, like say the flame-shaped bulbs you need for your chandelier, you might find the choices wanting, perhaps there’s an incandescent available, but not an EnergyStar CFL.

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